ArtTrader_Issue3.pdf

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ArtTRADERArtTRADERm a g a z i nPutting the art in tr

I s sue 3 - Summer 2

In this issue...

FEATURES: Interviews withDan Casado & Sarah Zamora

Soldering Made Simple

Reduction Block Printing

Coloring with Kat!Vintage Digital CollageMixed Media Swap Galleries

Sarah Zamora AKA Original YouthSarah Zamora AKA Original Youth

All about tradingATCs, Altered Art, Art Journals, Chunky Books & Creative Inspirati

FALL THEMED ROLO CONTEST INSID

In this issue...FEATURES: Interviews with

Dan Casado & Sarah Zamora

Soldering Made SimpleReduction Block PrintingColoring with Kat!

Vintage Digital Collage

Mixed Media Swap Galleries


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ArtTRADERa g a z i n e

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Table of Contents Summer 20

3

5

6

8

10

13

15

19

22

24

30

31

34

35

39

41

44

47

49

50

Art Trader Contributors

Editors Note & Letters

Gallery: Mixed Media & Collage Art

All About Ink Pads

Coloring with the Kat

Fall-Themed Rolodex Contest

Step by Step Vintage Digital Collage

Soldering Made Simple

Gallery: Monochrome Chunky Pages

Feature: Sarah Zamora

Petite Artiste: Tori L.

Gallery: Mixed Media Owls

Vlogging with Michael Shapcott

Artistic Journeys: Overcoming Artists Block

Gallery: Angels

An Interview with Dan Casado

Reduction Block Printing: Victorian House

Walkthrough

Gallery: Colored Pencil ATCs

Advertisers Ads

Call for Articles & Art

CHIEF EDITOR

COPY EDITOR

CONTRIBUTING AUTHORS

ART DIRECTOR

ASSOCIATE DESIGNERS

PUBLISHED BY

Dana Driscoll

Meran ni Cuill

Dana Driscoll

Sal Scheibe

Annie Melion

Abi Aldrich

Angela Kingston-S

Greer Gschwind

Heather Luedke

Bonnie Driscoll

Sal Scheibe

Brittany NoethenAnnie Melion

IllustratedATCs.co

ArtTRADER Magazinewww.arttradermag.com

Editor: [email protected]

Advertising: [email protected]

Submissions: [email protected]

Call for Entries: www.arttradermag.com

Page 31

Page 323

Page 6

Page 44


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Annie Melion is currently a full-time student, planning on eventually earning aMasters in Library Science. She loves all types of art, but is fond of the Surrea

and Symbolist movements. Her favorite artists are Michael Parkes, Daniel

Merriam, Aubrey Beardsley and her buddies at IllustratedATCs.com, where she is

a Moderator. She mainly works in watercolor, colored pencil, acrylics, markers and

gel pens, though not all at once. She lives in NY (cow country, not the city) and has

difculty writing biographies in the third person.

artpfunkcentral.blogspot.co m

www.ickr.com/photos/littleboot s

Sal Scheibe works as a creative designer for print and web and also as a freelanceillustrator. Her designs and artwork have appeared in books, CDs and DVDs,

brochures and posters. Sal is currently working on a number of large canvas

paintings for art shows. She also enjoys trading ATCs and is an administrator at

IllustratedATCs.com. Sals favorite artists and illustrators include Joe Sorren, J.C.

Leyendecker, William Bougereau and John Singer Sargent. Her favored mediums

are acrylic paint, colored pencils and markers.

www.slscheibe.co m

www.ickr.com/photos/ameras u

Dana Driscoll is an experimental artist working in a variety of media includingwatercolors, mixed media, oils, clay, book arts, hand papermaking, and altered

art. She is currently working on several artistic projects, including painting her

way through a 78-card tree tarot deck and combining her love of pottery and

bookmaking. When not avoiding the perils of pursuing her Ph.D. in Rhetoric and

Composition, she can be found frolicking in nearby forests or hanging out with

her nerdy gamer friends. Danas work can be found at her blog: artisticjourneys.

blogspot.com and she can be reached at [email protected].

www.artisticjourneys.etsy.co m

Contributors

Brittany Noethen is an artist living in a tech managers body. She would rather bedecapitated than give up making art, trading ATCs, or stop thinking that the phrase

Mufns or Bust is hilarious. She currently lives in Iowa with her partner Cat, her

12 year old pit bull, Maggie, and shelves full of art supplies.

www.bnoethen.etsy.co m

arty-iowa-girl.vox.co m

www.ickr.com/photos/arty-ia-gir l


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Greer Gschwind Born in Houston, Texas, E. Greer Gschwind now lives in the

metropolitan Atlanta area. She attended the Art Institute of Atlanta and hasworked as a graphic designer. Her home studio is shared by her husband and

two dogs known as the kids. I have always loved making things with whatever

was at hand, says Greer. I became interested in making jewelry because it is a

way to utilize art in a practical way something a person could use by wearing

it. Each necklace design Greer makes is a unique, miniature collage. It is also

reversible, with a different collage on either side. The sealing material around

each piece is jewelry-quality, lead-free solder. Greer also makes Altered Art

shrines and books, using a variety of media in a two dimensional form. Her strong

interest in history nds expression in her altered pieces that portray Queens of

England, Joan of Arc and Lucrezia Borgia, to name a few. You can nd Greer

at www.atcsforall.com under the user id of Eggstudio.

Meran niCuill Fascinated by nature and science, Meran ni Cuill attempts daily

to translate her passions into art. Sometimes she feels she even succeeds! And

then something else will catch her attention and off shell go! Chasing another

ideal. Meran enjoys gardening, sunsets, dogs, birds, and just about anything

as long as its not endless crowds of people. When those present, shell retreat

to a quiet place and read a book, or cut some glass, both of which she nds

therapeutic.

www.meran.etsy.co m

atcs2008.meran.fastmail.f m

Contributors

Abi Aldrich is an K-6 Art teacher in Wyoming. She sells oil paintings professionally,

makes pottery because she likes to play in the mud, and generally makes text

based sculptures and installations because that is her true love. Beyond that

she loves printmaking, drawing, and graphic design. In all her massive amounts

of free time, Abi hangs out with her menagarie, including several rabbits, a

chinchilla and a large bearded dragon. She also calls West Africa every night to

talk to the love of her life, Gee. So in a nutshell she is a nut who likes to make a

mess in art!

www.abigayle.etsy.co m

Angela Kingston-Smith is more widely recognised as LemurKat andconsiders herself an illustrator, not an artist. With her quirky, whimsical style

she has the tendency to turn anything cute and her art now graces the walls of

fellow artists all over the world. She hails from the lovely south island of New

Zealand, a place now known everywhere, thanks to a rather popular trilogy of

movies. Proud of her country, Kat loves to add a kiwi avour to her art. For

more information on LemurKat or to see more of her art, pay a visit to her online

gallery at Deviantart.

lemurkat.deviantart.co m


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Letter from the EditorHello and welcome to our third issue of

Art Trader Magazine. I have been recently

reminded of the importance of community inmail art. I was lucky enough to spend some

time in both Indianapolis, IN and Dallas,

TX with some fantastic women who got

together for multi-day artfests! The time we

spent on art, sharing and talking, reminded

me of some of the distinctions between mail

art and other forms of artistic pursuits.

When I think about myself as an artist before

discovering mail art, it seems a bit lonely.

Locking myself away for hours, painting and

creating; a solitary endeavor. I had a few

artistic friends, but mostly I tried to share

my work with family and friends, many

of who did not really understand. When

I discovered mail art, the feedback and

support I received from my art communities

was overwhelming! Finally, I had found

my artistic home; a place where I could

share and trade my work in a encouraging

environment and build a fantastic collection

of art.

And so, I encourage you to browse this

issue of Art Trader Magazine and think

about how you might share what you

learn--and create--with your own artistic

community. Our technique articles on

Whimsey Portraits, Vintage Digital Collage,

Illustration, Soldering, and Block Printing

are sure to give you new techniques to

share with your friends. Our swap galleries

of Monochrome chunky books, owls, collage

and colored pencils will inspire you to join

more swaps and trades! And nally, our

interviews and columns will encourage you

to push the boundaries of what it means to

be an artist.

Finally, I encourage each of you to

submit a rolo for our fall-themed rolodex

competition. The winners will be featured in

our next issue, so join in on the fun!

Dana Driscoll


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Ld Vg, Jur p Rxn Nca, ATC Ay Srn, ATC

Dr Lch, ATC Kr Lh, ATC Jnnfr Wllm, ATC


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R V St, ATC An Msry, ATC By Albr, ATC

Di Bcock, Cuny Bok Pre H, ATC Cr Sc, ATC


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ArtTRADERm a g a z i n e

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Pigment InkExample brand: Colorbox

Pigment inks are composed of color pigments

suspended in a binding substance. Most

metallic and pearlescent inks fall into this

category. Pigment inks do not soak in,

but instead rest on the surface of your

project. This makes them great for use on

dark backgrounds and matte surfaces.

Pigment inks will not dry thoroughly on

non-porous surfaces and dry slowly on

all other surfaces. They are ideal for heat

embossing due to their sticky consistency

and slow drying time. Pigment inks clean

fairly easily from stamps using water,

baby wipes or stamp cleaning pads.

Tip fr ue f Pigment-ae ink:Use small pads (such as Dew Drops

or Cats Eyes) to ink edges of paper and

for easy direct-to-paper application.

These are a great value and a good way

to have a variety of colors.

Use pigment based Chalk Ink for

opaque color on dark papers. This dries

with a powdery, matte nish.

Set pigment inks by heat

embossing the stamped design with clear

embossing powder. This will keep the

image from smearing and help it retain its

vibrant color.

Use a heat gun to speed up drying

time and help set the color; just be careful

not to overcook and scorch your paper.

Use clear pigment ink (embossing ink) for

basic embossing applications. Use colored

pigment inks along with your embossing

powders to experiment with color combinations.

Use a spray xative on nished projects

where smearing is a concern.

When you go into the craft supply store in search of an ink pad for a simple stamping project, do you leave

confused and unsure of what you need? Heres a list of ink types, along with some hints and tricks for use.

Type f InkInks come in three types: pigment, dye-based, and solvent-based. Additionally, there are fabric inks,

washable inks, and chalk inks. Each ink has different qualities and purposes within the mail art world.

All AbouT Ink PAds by Heather lueke

dye-bae Ink / Water-bae InkExample brand: Tim Holtz Distress Ink

Dye-based inks are best for use on porous

surfaces such as paper or fabric. They work

by soaking in and staining the bers, and may

slightly bleed at the edges if used on extremely

absorbant surfaces. Most dye-based inks may

also run if exposed to water, even after drying.

Dye inks typically dry too fast to be used for

heat embossing. Dye inks will wash fairly

easily from rubber or acrylic stamps with

water, baby wipes or stamp cleaning pads.

Tip fr ue f dye-ae ink:

Use the Tim Holtz Distress Inks for an

instant antique look. These inks react

with water to create an aged or worn

look.Do not use dye inks in applications

where you will be working over later

with markers, watercolors, or other wet

media. It may cause the image to

smear or bleed. There are waterproof

dye-based inks available, just check

packaging to make sure that is what

you are getting before using with wet

media.

Experiment with dye-based inks by rst

applying the ink directly from the pad or

re-inker onto a non-porous work surface

such as freezer paper or craft sheet and

spritzing with water, letting the colors

dilute (or bleed together if you use

multiple colors). Then apply your

paper face down onto the inked area for

an interesting background.

Use dye inks like watercolors by using a

damp brush to pick up ink from your pad,

then paint onto paper.


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slvent-bae InkExample brand: Staz-on

Solvent-based inks dry quickly and thoroughly on any porous or non-porous and are permanent

and waterproof when dry. This is your best option for use on metals and plastics. They are also your

best option for use with highly detailed stamps. Solvent inks typically dry too fast to be used for heat

embossing. Solvent inks are not easily cleaned from stamps and usually require a special stamp

cleaning product, such as Staz-on stamp cleaner.

Tips for use of solvent based inks:

Have re-inkers on hand to refresh your favorite colors since the pads will dry out faster than

other types of ink.

Use solvent inks if you intend on coloring your stamped image with markers or watercolors.

The lines wont smear or run once they are dry.

Solvent inks are the best option for use in projects intended to be coated with clear mediums

such as Modge Podge or acrylic matte medium.

If you can only have one solvent-based pad, a large, black archival pad is your most exibleoption.

Stamp a design with solvent ink onto at objects such as plastic buttons, metal washers,

colored plastic bingo markers, and bottle cap tops to make interesting, personalized

embellishments.

Stamp a design with solvent ink onto shrink plastic, color in the design with colored pencil,

cut out and shrink for interesting embellishments.

other specialty Ink

Fabric Ink (sometimes called Craft Ink) - a special type of pigment-based ink that, when heat

set, is permanent and washable (with cold water).

Washable Ink - Typically used for childrens crafts, these inks are meant to wash easily from

hands and off of most surfaces and fabrics. Be wary and test these inks before use if

complete clean-up is a concern.

Chalk Ink - A type of pigment ink that dries with an opaque, powdery nish.

Aitinal Hint an Tip

Store dye-based ink pads upside down to keep the ink from settling to the bottom of the

pad. Store pigment inks right side up and at.

Store multi-colored ink pads at. If stored on their side, the colors may run together.

Clean ink from stamps immediately to minimize staining

Need an easy way to store your ink pads? Look for old cassette storage boxes at a thriftstore. They are the right size to hold most standard sized stamp pads.


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Colored Pencil

ChoicesI always use Polychromos

pencils. They are an oil-based

pencil produced by the German

company Faber Castell. The

leads are relatively soft and give

a good, bold color that blends

very well. They are far superior

to Crayola or the non-artist

Faber Castell brands. Derwent

and Prismacolor pencils are

also quite good. Derwents are

even softer, and quite good for

nal light highlights. I have not

much experience with them

however (I only own one, a very

light purple, a color not producedby Faber Castell). Prismacolors

are not available in my country,

New Zealand.

This is an Easter Bilby. In Australia (and indeed, New Zealand), bunnies

are the ultimate evil. Thus a native animal has been selected to be the

Easter icon. The Bilby is also known as the rabbit-eared bandicoot and

is, as you may have guessed, a bandicoot with bunny-like ears. They

are exceptionally cute and make an adorable Easter card. So, lets give

her some color. For this I will need:

Colored pencils

Pencil Sharpener

Gel Pens (white and some pretty sparkly colors) Inking pens (Uniball Pin, Finelines - 0.5, 0.3 and 0.8)

Colored markers

In my last article Every Picture Tells a Story (Art Trader Magazine, Spring 2008), I showed you how to draw a

picture that told a story. Youve followed my tutorials and have drawn a picture youre proud of. Now you want tocolor it in! Well, heres how I bring my pieces to life.

I often scan my art into the

computer before continuing

with coloring and then print it

out lightly. To make the image

lighter on the paper, increase

the brightness of the scanned

image in a photo-editing

program like Photoshop.

Examine the le for corruption

thanks to stains on your

scanner or not-quite-erased

pencil lines. It is possible to

scan pencil line art, of course,

but I prefer to ink it rst and

thus give myself a smooth

outline to work around.

Photoshop Image Editing Tip:

Adjusting the levels of the art

(Image> adjustments> levels)can help you eliminate pesky

light colored pencil lines!

I print off my line art onto a nice, clean piece of watercolor paper. Although

I do not intend to use watercolor pencils, the paper has a nice grain to it

and a good thickness. I print the line art lightly, so that I can x any errors

in the original sketch and re-ink it.

Coloring with the KatBy Angela Kingston-Smith (Lemurkat)


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We shall begin by coloring the main character, the Bilby. First,

I select the colors I need: dark grey, medium grey, and light

grey. I start with the medium grey by dening in the greater

shadows - the lower parts of the

limbs and head, beneath the neckand ears, and along her rump.

Having added in these, now I skip

to the lightest grey and color in

the remainder of the Bilby. You

will notice I have also began work

on the belly. For this I am using

c i n n a m o n , cream and ivory

colored pencils. I often

use ivory as a substitute for white

when coloring animals. It has a

touch of yellow to it, which makes it a little more obvious against

the white paper. I reserve the white pencil for highlights (drawn

over the original color) and to help blend colors together.

The coloring of the belly and feet is following the same technique as the main body. I start with the shadowed

areas and the cinnamon--the pads of the feet, the arm pits--and then add in the cream.

Now I take the darkest pencil and add in the fur strokes. The most

effective, and efcient way to do this is in a series of little Vs. For

this you will need to sharpen the pencil to a ne point. Dont make

the Vs too big, or it will look more like feathers. Use the medium

colored pencil to blend the fur in a bit. If working on a larger scale

you can use the medium pencil to shade beneath each V. With your

nice, sharp, dark pencil increase the shadows.


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Now the main character is colored, it is time to move to the back

ground. Here the same principles apply. Beginning with the shadows

making sure they are dark beneath the feet and belly and where the tai

touches the ground. Do not forget here to take the suns position into

consideration. If you have a visible light source in the card, shadows

should fall as that light source would dictate them to. If there is novisible light source and it is outdoors, choose a corner and imagine

the sun is shining from there. Remain consistent! Can you guess

which corner my sun shines from? Its the top right corner. I hope you

guessed correctly (because it proves Ive done my job right). For the

desert, I have chosen a range of shades of ochre. I would tell you the

exact names, but my pencils are so short I can no longer read these

The darkest golden brown is used for the shadows (deeper shadows

are black or indigo, depending on which I manage to grab rst). I use

a variety of shades to scribble in a few lines that indicate stones and

grain. Heres a secret tip - a quick squiggle does the trick. You do not

need to draw every pebble!

The remainder of the background is fairly easy to complete using the same technique. Where owers are

concerned, I color in the foreground stalks with a light green pencil, and shade the owers in what is almost a

stylized manner. Depth can be added by taking up a dark green or black marker pen and drawing in a few stalks

behind the foreground ones. This adds an impression of depth.

I use markers to color in the eggs, giving them a bright and

playful feel. Additional embellishments can be added to the

eye with gel pens - the glint of white off the pupil, a bright

blue iris. I also make her claws shiny and silver and add a

gold touch to the center of every ower. The Happy Easter

greeting I color with glitter gel pens.

And now shes ready to go to her new home - a little late for

Easter, tis true! But its the thought that counts, right?

~ C o l o r i n g T i p ~

White or cream gel pens (fne

detail work), or white gouache

or acrylic paint (larger areas)

is great for adding highlights to

your work!


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Fall-Themed Rolodex Contest!Art Trader Magazine is now accepting submissions for our fall-themed rolodex contest! Rolodexes should be

3 x 5 including one side for art and one side for addresses/contact information. All mediums are welcome and

experimentation is encouraged. We ask that you use fall colors--brown, burgundy, gold, orange, deep green, etc

or fall themes in your work for this contest.

Entry Rules & Information

Each artist can send up to three rolodex scans (front and back) at 300dpi or higher to [email protected].

Please be sure to include your real name and contact information and send by September 10, 2008. Remember

the Autumn theme!

Here is some rolo inspiration & eye candy! Get creative!


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SallyAnn Arndt Cynthia Blood

Jeanette DimockCheryl Howley


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Remember to get your

Fall Rolo entries in bySeptember 10, 2008.

All styles & mediums

are welcome!

Sandy Sappington-BroschatDana Driscoll

Renne Helem Tanya Whitley


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Step 1

Create your image at 300 DPI, 2.5 x 3.5

I used this salmony-brown color for my background.

This is layer 1.

Step 2

I chose this old fashioned owery wallpaper to use as

a background. I pasted this onto layer 2 of my PSD

le.

Step 3

To get a see-through effect, I set the layer option to

screen and turned the opacity down to about 60%.


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Step-by-Step Digital Collage, Vintage StylBeginner to Intermediate Level, By Sal Scheibe

Vintage collage is a pretty fun style of art but not everyone is going to be a master at it. Im the sort of artist who ends

with glue all over me my collage attempts always turn into messy mixed media mayhem. The art of physical collaseems to be beyond me so I usually turn to what I know best digital design. As a creative graphic designer, the dig

world is where I feel most at home. And creating vintage collage on a computer can be just as much fun as the r

world version. Both can turn into little mini-masterpieces to trade with new friends.

With digital collage, you need to nd a good source for decent quality images. The photos and images dont have

be 300 DPI but they should be a decent enough size to use in a 300 DPI creation. You will want to create your coll

at 300 DPI since you will need a nice quality version for printing. I sometimes get vintage images from the Flickr gro

called Collage Images. They are often copyright free and in the public domain but be sure to check the comments

description to make sure.

I use Adobe Photoshop for all of my digital collage art.


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Step 4

Much like the steps above, I

added an old letter on another

layer and then changed the layer

setting to overlay and turned

the opacity down to 20%.

These two background images,along with my initial salmony-

brown background, have

provided a nice, but not too

intrusive background to work

with.

Step 5

I took a photo of a bathing beauty

and cut her out using the Lasso

Tool. Then she was pasted onto

a new layer in my digital collage

image.

Step 6

I cleaned up the photo by usin

the Eraser Tool to get rid of a

of the photo background. Yo

could use the Magic Eraser t

do this for some photos, as lon

as the colors are a bit differen

In this case, the Eraser Tool wathe best option.

Step 7

I found some pretty buttery

wings in the Collage Images

group at Flickr and cut out the

left one to use as her wings.

You may need to use the Scaletool to resize images to match

proportions. My wings were too

small so I made them a little

bigger. I used the Eraser Tool (as

in Step 6) to erase the edges.

I pasted a copy of the same wing

on another layer and rotated it a

little so it appears as though she

has two wings. I didnt want her

to be too 2D.

Step 8

My fairy is a Writing Fairy, which is

why she is sitting on a typewriter.

She needed to be sitting on an

object and the typewriter tied in

nicely with my chosen theme.

Step 9

The fairy, her wings and th

typewriter are all in differe

colors and tones which need

to be xed. I added a new laye

on top of the wings, selected thwing shape (pressing Ctrl + V o

the wing layer) and lled it wi

red. I then set the red layer t

overlay and turned the opaci

down to about 90%.


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Step 11

On a new layer beneath the fairy

and typewriter photos, I painted

in a bit of a brown shadow on

the ground so my fairy looks

grounded rather than oating.

I set the layer opacity down

to about 25% so the shadowwasnt so harsh.

Step 12

Here I have added a few sma

yellow / white butteries on

new layer. This buttery shap

is in the Custom Shape To

menu. I added different sizes an

then rotated them individually t

make them a little different.

Step 13

On a new layer, I added a Zetti

style checked border by using

the Rectangular Marquee Tool.

Once I had the border, I added

yet another layer and selectedthe border shape (press Ctrl

+V on border layer to select

its shape). I then did an Edit

>> Stroke, 2 px on the inside.

Then I deselected and blurred

it to make the border appear

3-D like. I also used the Layer

Effects to give the butteries a

red Drop Shadow so they stood

out more from the background.

Step 14

At the top of the image, I added

a quote about poetry by Anton

Chekhov.

As you can see, I had to movemy layers down a little to t in my

quote. I didnt plan very well.

Step 15

I added a new layer (beneat

all of the photos and above th

background). On this layer,

used the Custom Shape To

and added a few random oweon the background to ll thing

out. I then turned down th

layers opacity so the ower

sat more in the background.

I also added a background glo

to my fairy and her wings so sh

could stand out a little more.

Step 10

I created a new layer which I set

to overlay and then I painted

(you can use a mouse or a

Wacom pen) her hat and her

shoes with an orange red color.

Having the layer set to opacity

allows all of the tones andshading to show through.

I also colored the typewriter

(Image >> Adjustments >> Hue/

Saturation) to a browner tone to

match the fairy photo.


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Finished Version

Here is the nished image. Its ready to be printed

out ATC size at 300 DPI.

All set for trading!

Digital collage can be a lot of fun. Just like physica

collage, there is denitely a learning curve but once

you have the hang of the software and a little artistic

inspiration, your creations can be limitless!


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Here are a few

more digitalvintage collage

samples.

Art by Sal Scheibe


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Soldering Made Simple!By Greer Gschwind (aka Eggstudio)

This article contains information to make soldering funand simple!

For soldering, you will need the following supplies:

Glass

Lead-free Solder (get this cheaper at your hardware

store), or Silver Solder

Flux

Copper tape

Soldering Iron ( I use a Walnut Hollow 25W, 120V)

Sandpaper

Art

Scissors

Walkthrough: Soldered

Glass Pendant with

Scalloped Edges

Step 1:

You can make decorative

edges by cutting your foil.

Here I used a scalloped pair

of scissors and wrapped theglass with the foil.

Step 2:

Tape your glass and burnish

the copper tape down on theglass. Dont press too hard or

youll break the glass.

General Soldering Tips

Silver Solder: Silver solder,

often used in jewelry making,has a low % of silver. You may

not want to spend extra for this.

I have tried both silver and lead-

free.

Paste Flux: I like paste ux

because it will not ooze under my

glass like liquid ux will. Clean

excess ux off your gun tip with

sandpaper when it looks black or

the solder will not ow correctly.

Removing Flux: Use WD-40 toclean off Flux - you dont need to

buy that pricey ux remover stuff

Soldering Technique: There

are different ways to solder. You

can put the solder on the tip and

move it along the copper so it

ows off. You can also put the

solder on your copper and put

the tip on the solder. What I do

a lot with long strips of copper is

load the gun tip with solder.

Changing Solder Colors: There

are patinas you can use on

solder. It must say for solder.

One will make your solder black.

There is another that will make

your solder look like copper. This

is good if you really liked what

your piece looked like with that

copper tape and hated to cover

it all up.


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-20-

Step 3:

Now we will add the jump ring. Cut a bit of

foil in half so that it ts through the jump ring.

Step 4:

Attach the jump ring on to your piece with the tape. This

way you dont have to worry about it moving around or

having to use a third hand.

Step 5:Apply ux all over the tape. Remember, ux is your

friend; it helps the solder to ow.

Step 6:

Solder the jump ring.


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-21-

Step 7:

I like to solder the jump ring front and back so it

does not jump around.

Step 8:

Solder the rest of your piece. I solder the front and

back and then the sides. The front and back solder

will clump over the side; you can use this solder -

just smooth it out.

Step 9:

To remove the excess ux, spray a bit of WD-40

onto a towel - not too much. You dont want it

drippy or it will ooze under your glass. You need

just a bit to melt the ux and make it easy to

remove. Also, you can scrape the ux off with an

X-Acto blade.

Step 10:

Clean up your piece with glass cleaner. I have read

that you can polish your solder with car wax, butthis is something I have not tried.

Step 11:

Finish off your pendant and wear it!


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-22-

Lisa

Manyweathers

Tanya

McClelland

Cheryl

Duncan-Molloy

Christina

An Biro

Wendy

Pompe

Mireya

De Jesus


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More big and yummy chunky page

goodness from a swap held at

www.ATCsforAll.com

Tanya

Whitley

Debra

Leach

Amy

Sargent

Debi

Babcock

Sandy

Sappington-

Broschat

Julianne

Waller

Lisa

Brown

Karen

Mlincek


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-24-

MemberInterv

iew:

SarahZam

ora

byAnnieMelion

ow & when did you become interested in art?

arah: Ive always been drawn to art; I can remember doodling, coloring, painting, and designing things, even as a yo

hild. Expressing myself on paper has always been a part of who I am. I used to draw pictures to hang all over my

when the fridge was full, of course). This was really just a hobby to me, until 2003 when I rediscovered paintin

anvas, and Ive been busy creating 2-d pieces ever since. I started mainly doing custom wall art for kids rooms, a

n canvas. That morphed into murals, custom works for homes and businesses, and then, gradually into mixed me

id you study art in school?

arah: No. Most of my youth focused on performance art (theatre, choir, band, etc.) so my art interest was just some

did in my free time. As a hobby I would doodle in class or while talking on the phone. I took one 2-D art class in co

hen I was trying to nd a new major, but the instructor wasnt really impressed with me. I worked REALLY hard t

B. At that time, I was pretty disappointed, but, looking back and considering I was competing with students tha

ursued art full-time for years and had lots of previous experience and instruction, I regard that grade as a success! I

njoyed learning the fundamentals there, and later took a drawing class at a community college in California. That

eally gave me condence, as I began to be able to more accurately depict what I was seeing through lots of repet

d love to go back to school and take some more formal art classes someday, maybe after both my kids are in scho


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What art themes do you like?

Sarah: Well, can I say all of them? I guess that is cheating. Honestly, the past few years, I have really enjoy

creating anything and everything! The ones that I gravitate towards for my collection are those with bold colo

and forms. Ive really enjoyed collecting colorful portraits, those mimicking the bold style of artists such as Alex

von Jewlensky, Kees Van Dongen, or Martina Shapiro. I have pretty big collections of cards in several theme

including: Eiffel Tower, Zetti, Frida Kahlo, Wonder Woman, Black and White, Red Poppy Flowers, Art/Creativthemes, among many others.

Which artists have inspired you over time?

Sarah: This one is hard. Ive never really followed one persons style. I gue

Ive just always found delight and strengths in every piece I happened upo

Whether it is theme, color, brush strokes, composition, etc, I can almost alwa

nd something in an art piece that I admire. Ive been blessed to visit lo

of great museums around the world, and seeing one persons work featurein an entire museum has shown to be really fascinating. A few of the mo

memorable collections Ive toured would be Joan Miro (Barcelona), Picass

(his home in Paris), and Andy Warhol (Pittsburgh, PA). Ive also been draw

to the story of Frida Kahlo. These artists embraced their oddness, revok

traditional rules in art, and created whatever they desired, regardless of t

views of proper society. They also each had a dose of madness mixed

some sort of dysfunction or illness in their life. Working against the challeng

of life is something that really is fascinating to me.

Honestly, the artists that have inspired me the most the past few years a

those that I trade with on the net! Interacting with them, holding their works

my hands, receiving critique and encouragement from other artists has inspire

me to no end! Great painters, mixed media artists on Flickr.com, Illustratedatc

com, ATCsforall.com, and Craftster.com have really encouraged me to wo

on my technique and style.


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What are some of your favorite mixed media techniques?

Sarah: Mixed Media is fun for me because of all the layers. I really

enjoy making complicated pieces, especially incorporating everyday

found objects, or recycled bits. Some of my favorite things to use as

bases, are layers of phone book pages (or other text), tissue paper

paper doilies, used overhead transparencies, and blending in layersof inks, paints, gesso, and pigment powders to the mix. Getting messy

with these is a great stress reliever; spreading all kinds of ingredients

out over the table and just gluing and mixing without regard to order is

a process of discovery. I think making a quality mixed media piece is

way more than just about a simple collage process of cutting and gluing

stuff to other stuff. Incorporating messy materials, blending differen

techniques and supplies and putting your own unique twist on the

papers is key.

Part of the fun with ATCs and other mail art is that there arent as

many rules as in formal ne art. There isnt any reason you cant mix

watercolors with scrapbooking supplies with a bit of metal you found onthe sidewalk. The possibilities are as endless as your imagination.

I also think it is important to do your own thing, and my work is denitely

a testament to that. Its easy to get caught up in hype or trends and

follow the muse of someone else. While expanding your skill set is al

good and ne, I think it is important to follow your own imagination. Be

inspired by the works of others, but dont seek to copy it; make it your

own. Look at their body of work for a few moments, and then take what

you remember most and recreate it with your own avor, changing it as

you go. Finding your own favorite supply, style, and technique should

come with practice and experience, not what you read in the latesoverpriced crafting magazine.

I dont mean to be preachy, because honestly, I dont buy any of those

magazines. I know they can have great eye candy and inspiration.

just think that if we put a barcode on our art and make it commercia

and mainstream just to get attention or make some cash, we are selling

ourselves short.

With supplies, I think its important to remember you can make art from

almost anything! Use what you have, and dont feel hindered for lack

of fancy art materials. I have made some very popular ATCs using

plain cardstock and Crayola watercolors! I use what I have on handupgrade when I can, and dont apologize for my work. Ive made cards

using paper towels, baby wipes, cereal boxes, phone book pages, craft

acrylic paints, staples, and other everyday supplies. Putting energy and

creativity into your work is what makes it unique, regardless of where

your materials come from. I like to save all kinds of pretty materials

postmarks and stamps, cards, calendar pages, fortunes, vintage book

pages, clips from magazines, even an occasional food label can have

a great image.


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rtTRADERa g a z i n e

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Do you feel there is anything outside your comfort zone? Anything youd want to try in the future, or

would you avoid like the plague?

Sarah: I used to say Ill paint anything but portraits. Not anymore! I really havent avoided any subject, nor do

I plan to. Although I dont collect every one, I dont have an aversion to trying to paint them! I really enjoy the

diversity of size, subject, medium, etc. I actually paint murals as well, so, in my case, size doesnt matter.

Id love to take some art classes once my kids get into school and I have more free time. Im denitely open to

learning more about formal techniques in order to improve my own condence and style.

Can you tell us a little about your Tip-Top dolls? The inspiration for them, and your creative process

in making them?

Sarah: The Tip Top Dolls came about in the summer of 2007. What started as a series of 3 ATCs grew to a

little obsession of drawing little pointy hat people, and they got their own little personality and story. Next came

a small swap, which turned into a large swap, and the fun was contagious. I decided they needed 3-D lives,

and spent some time developing them into fabric art dolls. I made hundreds of mini Tip Top ornaments to sell

on Etsy in the Fall of 2007. That was a whirlwind month of urried activity in my sewing nook! I plan to startmaking batches of them later this summer to do another round of Holiday ornaments in the fall.

You also create murals; can you tell us a little about the process?

Sarah: Murals are a side gig, something I do for clients as needed. I like to nd out what the client wants to

feel from the space, and what the needs are as I design a plan. I use the term design rather lightly, as I really

hate sketching or formal planning. I usually just explain my vision (based on their preferences) and paint it!

It usually blows people away that I dont sketch or pencil in my lines rst, I just start painting; but that is what

works best for me. As long as the client has seen my prior works and I feel condent that I know the result

they are looking for, its really a fun process. Ive done lots of murals for private homes, mostly playrooms,

family spaces, and kids rooms. Ive also done a handful of very large scaled projects: churches, play gyms,

and other businesses.

As another side job, I also do faux nishing projects and decorative wall texturing for clients. The trend in

Venetian plaster really adds a lot of depth and character to a home. I cant wait until we buy a home of our

own; almost every wall will have its own personality!


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You trade work in many different mail art formats (ATCs, 4x4s, rolos, etc.) which do you like best and

why?

Sarah: Right now, the chunky book pages (4x4) have my attention. They are just so tactile and easy to hold and

display when made into a book. I really enjoy adding the 3-d bits and charms to them as well. I have several books

(Creativity, Monochromatic, Zetti, Fabric) and they each are just captivating! I really enjoy the size and shape othem, the ease of display, and trading them in group swaps where you can get the maximum in art trading for your

postage. ATCs were denitely my rst love in the mail art world, I have at least 800 or so. I will keep trading them

for sure.

Why do you like mail art? Why do you feel it is important?

Sarah: Mail art is such a great way to connect with others in the local (and global!) community. The sense o

sharing of your time, work, skills, and supplies with others is just ideal. The fact that you can do it (make art, chat,

play in the forums) on your own time (instead of having to schedule time to meet up with a specic group) is great

for those of us with otherwise busy lives. I think part of the fun (for me) is that I am engaging with people of all walks

of life, of all skill levels, of all situations. We dont always admire each others work, but appreciating each othersstrengths and participating kindly in the community is really important.

The fact that works are traded (and not purchased) is an important concept. The difference between mail art sites

and other artistic online forums is that you get to actually exchange the works; holding a piece in your hands can

really make something click instead of just viewing a photo of it on your computer. Thats obviously the reason

that galleries still ourish today, as a photo in a book of a sculpture just doesnt do that art piece justice as when

you see it in real life. As humans, sharing your talents and skills with others is so valuable. Giving back is really

healthy, and mail art allows us to do that.

In regards to your custom dolls and murals: How do you incorporate

your own creative vision and still keep to a clients needs?

Sarah: I think making sure the client is enamored with my style is the

key. Ive turned down jobs for people when I knew my creative vision and

style was not what the client was seeking. Its frustrating to turn down

a paying gig, but its much easier than to ght against doing somethingthat is not in my nature. For instance, last year I got a great offer to do

a professional break room for a local company. The problem, for me, is

that they wanted a 50s diner styled room, with dancers in poodle skirts

and such. That really isnt my style; so I referred them to another local

artist.

Sometimes my personal vision is denitely compromised when seeking

to please a client. Ive painted things I thought were a bit silly, or added

extra details that I personally wouldnt have chosen. Thats how it works.

Ultimately, the client is the one who will live with the wall when I am gone,

and I want them to be happy. Sometimes that means adding another

color to a textured wall, modifying a design, or incorporating anotherelement that I wouldnt have chosen on my own. Thats what being a

custom artist is about; using my skills and instincts to make the clients

vision and imagination come to life in a way that they will be most happy

with.


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You have a young family to raise and are quite active in your community; how do you make time for

art?

Sarah: Art denitely takes second priority, as family comes rst at our house. Im a WAHM (work-at-home-Mom

with 2 kiddos, age 2 and 4. Their daily care is paramount, and consumes lots of time and energy. Art time is

squeezed in around that. Ill check emails while they eat meals, and usually dont do much creatively until they

are resting. During the day, if I want to do a project, I balance the time with a project for them. My daughter is

very artistically motivated as well; so shell jump right in next to me with a collage or painting project of her own.

My husband is very understanding of my need to create; he knows that it helps me emotionally to make stuff.

We trade off time in the evenings; where sometimes Ill take an hour to go paint or sew, or Ill give him time to

draw or watch TV. We know our kids are a blessing (sometimes disguised between sticky ngers and tantrums)

so having lots of family time is important. My best creative time is usually from 9-11pm at night.

The main secret to my success is multi-tasking; some of my friends tease me about how much I can accomplish,

but its really about balance. I may sketch while watching the kids play outside, while the dishwasher and

washing machine run inside. Ill spend one evening making lots of backgrounds, spreading my mess out on the

kitchen table and getting as much accomplished as possible. I spend time only one day a week preparing al

my envelopes for mailing (addressing, putting backs on cards, etc.), so that I only have to make one or 2 trips tothe Post Ofce per week. If Im making one watercolor card, Ill work on 2-3 more while the rst layer is drying

All of these are big time savers.

Knowing what the priorities are (Faith, Marriage, Family, Business, Personal Art) helps to balance each project

in the long run. Its not hard to get emotionally wrapped up in something like a swap when you are frustrated o

disappointed, but Im fortunate to have a husband who is very grounded and can re-focus me to what is really

important. Sometimes that is hard (to put the fun stuff aside and do the work rst) but, essentially, it is key to

maintaining the proper balance. Basically, juggling it all isnt easy. If I feel I am getting overwhelmed, I stop

signing up for stuff! I dont sign up for every swap I want to join, but pick those I am most enamored with. Ive

withdrawn from a few too, if the cards are proving too tedious or I am simply out of time. Whatever your situation

considering your priorities and what is truly important will always help you to be balanced.

Visit Sarah Zamora on the Web!

For work that is currently available for sale

www.originalyouth.etsy.com

For custom work or to inquire about muralswww.originalyouth.com


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Tori L.


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Tori is a nine-year-old artist from Tucson, AZ. She has been

interested in art since she was one or two years old. Some

of Toris favorite things to draw include horses, landscapes,

treasure maps. Toris mom adds, This varies from day to

day. Today it was dinosaurs. As a medium Tori says she

likes to use paint, watercolor pencils, glue. Her mom in-

cludes, Tori pretty much can turn anything into art. From

paperclips and cotton balls to string and painters tape. Sheadded plastic eyes meant for stuffed animals onto the hem

of a skirt. She makes 3D construction paper sculptures.

Most of the art doesn't last long enough for me to document.

Bummer. With all the art Tori creates she says I save and

frame some of it and also trade it for other art online. Her

mom adds, I save choice pieces in a le so the kids and I

can go back and look later. Tori also gives away a lot of art

to friends and relatives. Toris 3rd grade art teacher is Mrs.

Tilbalm. Tori adds I won an art contest for best artist in third

grade in my school and also got an award for class artist.

Getting To Know Kid Artists

by Abi Aldrich. featuring


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The Owl Swap

A wise old owl sat on an oak; The morehe saw the less he spoke; The less he

spoke the more he heard; Why arent we

like that wise old bird?

The Owl Swap

Kristin Marz Lorraine Wilson Heather Platt

Susan McDonald

Sarah Graham

Kathryn Mortimer


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Pauline Turgeon Jennifer Erwin Lori Paulus

Sharon Lee Wilcox Miranda Kearns

Jacqueline Coyle Rebekah Grimes Sara Lee


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-33-

Malin Walkeby Caroline Gunn Stephanie King

Elena Garcia Christina An Biro

Sophie Tousignant Bethany Ahlberg Jennifer Causey


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By Annie Melion

Michael Shapcott creates his paintings in graphite, oil and acrylic. His vlog

channel mixes quirky off-beat musings and discussion of his work with time

apse videos that demonstrate how he paints. Illustration and realism arecombined in his work and give the viewer a sense of depth.

What kind of camera do you use? What editing program do you

use?

Michael: Right now I use an older model of the Sony Handycam mainly

because it was given to me. Its pretty basic, easy to use, and it gets the job

done. I have my eyes on the Canon HV20. Right now, Im using Windows

Movie Maker. Its a really simple program that came with my computer - very

user friendly - but limited. I nd the whole process from lming to editing

o feeling the satisfaction of a nished video exciting and fun. Im looking

orward to broadening my horizons in lm-making.

How many hours do you spend working on your Vlog? Have you

ounditbenecialinyourmarketing?

Michael: It depends on what Im shooting and what mood Im in. For the

Vlog entitled, Bye, Bye Beard, it took me 20 minutes to shave my face and

about an hour to edit it. The Painting a Painting Vlog, on the other hand,

ook days to shoot and days to edit - about two weeks altogether I think.

havent consciously made the decision to use my videos as a marketing

ool, but people are denitely showing some interest in my work because ofhem. I started to make art videos because of the lack of unique art videos

Vlogging with Michael ShapcottVlogging with Michael Shapcott

d seen. I wanted to blend the instructional part with the fascinating part and throw in some humor and good music.

hat YouTube has been out for a while, there are a variety of talented artists making really entertaining and inspirati

videos. I hope I am one of them. Mostly, I make the videos because they motivate me to work harder. I have alw

enjoyed sharing my work with people. My aim in making these videos is for people to look at art and enjoy it in a

and exciting way.

Vlogging and the Tradtional Artist:Video Blogs, or Vlogg

is an exciting step forward in the partnership between art

technology. With the onset of digital, or computer-gener

artwork, many traditional artists sometimes wonder

technology can positively affect their more tactile work

creative process. The Internet has worked wonder

communicating words and still images (via more traditi

blogs and web pages), but Vlogging takes us into the ri

realm of sound and movement, enhancing the experie

of the viewer. So if youre interested in using an additi

media platform to inform, express and promote your crea

vision, go grab a camera and join the Vlogging revolutio

http://www.michael-shapcott.com/

http://www.youtube.com/redlung

http://www.myspace.com/redlung


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Artistic Journeys: Overcoming Artists BlockBy Dana Driscoll & Bonnie Driscoll

Every artist dreads the day that you sit down and begin to work on a new projectand nothing happens! The mi

like the page, remains blank. Try as you might, it seems like all of your creative energies have left you. Artists blo

can be the most frustrating and depressing time for any artist. This article walks you through positive steps you c

take to help lift artists blockincluding our own artistic familys technique we have been using for over 20 years.

What causes artists block?

Causes of artists block, much like writers block, vary widely from person to person. Common causes can inclu

the following:

Stress and lack of energy. Lacking sufcient time and energy for artistic pursuits can easily cause creat

block. Even if you use art as a way of relaxation, when you are stressed out, it is hard to muster creat

energies to produce quality work. Mail art itself can be a source of stress; many mail artists get overwhelm

both with the amount of swaps they join and/or projects they take on at once.

Stuck in an artistic rut and/or being afraid to try new things. While many artists work in a certain style or them

the same thing over and over can become a block for new and original work.

Pressuring yourself. Some artists have such a strong desire to make art that when mistakes happen, th

become overly upset and become blocked in making more art. Additionally, artists may become overwhelm

by the work of other artists, and compare themselves in ways that are ultimately unfair and destructive

their creative process. For example, Bonnie often gets discouraged because Dana produces so much

comparatively!

Just like there is no one single cause for artists block, no single solution exists, as each artist is unique! The follow

are some general suggestions which should enable you to overcome artist block and expand into new artistic territoFirst, well present our own familys technique for creative expression and then some other general hints and tips

overcoming artist block.

The Driscoll Family Solution

In our family, art has been more than just a hobby - it has been a lifestyle. Nothing energizes or excites us more th

creating new visual designs, paintings, and drawings. When things get dull or boring or someone is having an artis

crisis, our family likes to go out in the yard and slop paint around to get the creative juices owing. Going outdo

allows us to not worry about splattering paint, to work big, and to move from piece to piece. It is not uncommon

some of us to be working on 5-6 canvasses at a time, just painting abstract or backgrounds! This is not a solita

pursuit but rather should be done with family, friends, and other creative and artistic people!


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Materials:

A sunny day

Flat space outsideyour yard, patio or deck (protect your

deck or patio with a drop cloth or newspaper)

Several friends and familydont do this alone!

Surfaces to work ona roll of canvas, large sheets of

watercolor paper, objects to alteranything goes! Bring out

something unexpected and see what happens.

Media to work withvarious paints, texture mediums, inks,

and so forth. Depending on the project, we recommend cheap

acrylic paints (like Apple Barrel brand) or even spray paint.

We dont recommend oils, as they take too long to dry and

bugs and various grasses can get stuck in them.

Brushes and other materials to create texture

Water buckets and outdoor access to water

Old clothing and shoes

Additional important necessities:Uninterrupted time. Unplug the phone, send young children

to daycare, and clear your schedule!

No expectations. This technique is a way of releasing you

from your inhibitions and block, not a way to create new ones.

Come with a completely open mind and be ready to have fun

and be free.

The Technique: In one sentence, the purpose of this technique

s to slop some paint around outside! Fling paint, use your

ngers and toes, experiment, and just have fun. For thisechnique, we recommend working larger rather than smaller,

especially if you are used to doing smaller work for mail art.

We also recommend having a variety of surfaces to work on

everal canvases for each person, and different types of papers.

A single painting might develop, or a series of backgrounds that

can be added to later.

Start by getting your materials all togethermake sure you

arent forgetting anything so that once you start creating, you

dont have to stop to nd additional items. Image 1 shows our

uitcase of acrylic paints, brushes, canvases, water containers,

etc.

Everyone begins to paint!

Mark always likes working big, and he starts splashing color

on the canvas in bold strokes.

Briel and Mark discuss a developing textured acrylic painting.

As the works are progressing, sometimes two family members

will switch canvases partway through the process just for a

challenge!


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When we say anything goes, it means anything goes!

Bonnie decided to experiment with chicken feet painting-

--dipping our baby chicken Nutmegs feet into yellow non-

oxic paint and letting her walk across the canvas.

Dana has begun working on the foreground of a developing

ree painting.

We painted for several hours and afterwards spent time

admiring, critiquing, and discussing our work. Here is

Briel, Mark, and Dana looking at their creations! Some of

hese works will be nished at a later time, while others

will be cut down for mail art use and develop into nice

backgrounds. Others may sit on a shelf, collecting dust,

until they are brought to another painting day outside at

a later point.

Unplug the phone,

send young children todaycare, and clear your

schedule!


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Other helpful suggestions for overcoming artists block

If the Driscoll solution is a bit extreme for your tastes, here are some other general suggestions to help you overco

artists block!

Take a break from it for a while. Art, just like any other pursuit, can get overwhelming: too many swap commitmeas a mail artist, too many paintings for an upcoming gallery show, or too much work on any single project can burn

out. Sometimes, a week or month away from art can help re-energize your creativity.

Try something newartistic or otherwise. Treat yourself to a new book or try a new technique within our own

Trader Magazine! Take a class in any artistic pursuitpainting, pottery, photography, culinary arts, dance, music

writing. Sometimes stimulating creative juices in other areas, like writing, helps stimulate all of your creative energ

Try a change of scenery. Sometimes getting away for an hour, a day, or a week is just what the creative mind ne

to get back into gear. Try to get yourself a segment of uninterrupted timeeven if it is just a few hours. Better

bring a friend!

Interact with other creative people. Nothing stimulates the mind like your fellow artists who have ideas and techniqto share! An in-person or virtual get-together is sure to bring artistic excitement back into your life.

Submerge yourself in artistic worlds. Museums, art exhibits, shows, and contests are great ways of inspiring your

to try new things and experiment. If you are an artist who nds her inspiration through nature, a walk in the wood

in the local botanical garden may also be of help. Take a camera or sketchbook to take ideas home with you!

Dont panic; it will pass. The more you dwell on it, the more it gets to you! Taking a break and not letting your b

get to you are both simple solutions to artists block.

No art is ever a lost cause. When Bonnie was in art school, she remembers a time when she had to design a

set of letters for a font. After nearly forty hours of work, she spilled ink on the nal project and after an initial upset, was able to work the ink blob into the font design. Although it wasnt exactly what she had envisioned, making mista

into art was a great way of getting past the issue!

Make bad art. Sometimes its hard to always be producing quality work. Take a break from looking good for a w

and just make everything ugly! This is part of the goal of our outdoor painting days.

Make your art portable. Have a small container of art supplies ready to travel. You may be inspired by somethin

any point, and be ready to keep track of those creative energies!

That is it for this editions Artistic Journeys column. Join us next month when we explore another solution to art

blockthe beauty and fun of producing bad art!


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Mixed Media

Angel SwapAngels are many things to different people. The

members of ATCsForAll.com were asked to create

their own interpretations of what an Angel might be,

using mixed media. Thread painting, acrylics and cut

paper were among the many techniques used.

Angels have nophilosophy but love.

Adeline Cullen

Ray

Angels are spiritual energy.Alexis F. Hope

Sometimes even the

flight of an angel hits

turbulence.

Rhonda Anderson

Robyn Tisch-Hollister

Caroline GunnElaine LeMay


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The reason angels canfly is because they take

themselves lightly.G.K. Chesterton

We are each of us angels with only onwing, and we can only fly by embracin

one another.Luciano de Crescenzo

Robyn Tisch-Hollister

Susan McDonald

Carole Corbeil Dana Driscoll Lisa Brown


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rtTRADERa g a z i n e

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Dan Casado

How did you become interested in art? Did you study it in

school?

I remember myself always drawing during my school hours, not

interested in math or history lessons. just drawing! Later, looking for

a creative job, I obtained a degree in Graphic Design and worked for

magazines for a few years.

Where are you from? Tell us about your life.

I was born in Argentina, South America, in 1956. When I was twenty-

three years old, I left my work as graphic designer, and moved to live

in Spain, where I owned an antiquarian [ed. note: antique dealer] store

for ten years, in a small village near Barcelona City. Meanwhile, I had

always been drawing, sometimes painting, doing small assemblages

bit by bit becoming deeply involved in art. Thanks to the Internet, I

know and was known by other artists, being invited to take part in my

rst art shows ve years ago. In this time I moved again, establishing

my home-studio in the Canary Islands, where I live now.

What materials do you use? Do you have any favorite techniques?

Actually I do paintings on wood, mostly wood cutouts, shaped painted cutouts. I prefer to paint the wood pieces

with acrylics. I dilute the colors to obtain new tones by adding coats, and then I like to scratch and scrape on the

paint while still wet, to get textures, lines and patterns.

You work a great deal with wood; what prompted this?

When I had the antiquarian store, I used to restore by myself the old furniture and used to keep the discarded

wood pieces in a big basket. Recycling the discarded wood from the basket, I begin to make things, gures,

small sculptures, reliefs Actually, I do my wood cutouts with the same old tools that I used as antiquarian!

Whathasinuencedyourwork?

Discovering the work of the named folk or outsider artists was a blast to me; their use of common materials to

create spontaneous and unltered art shows me the way to follow. My rst contacts were with the Who-Ha Da

Da Outsider Art Fellowship, www.whohadada.com. There I found close friends!

Interviewed by Annie Melion


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You can fnd Dan Casadosart at these websites!

Personal Website

www.dancasado.com

Flickr photo gallerywww.ickr.com/photos/dan-casado/

Ebay Store

http://stores.ebay.com/DAN-and-SISI-Folk-Art


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Your people are very beautiful and quirky; where do your

ideas come from? Can you describe your creative process?

It begins always with a drawing. Id lled many sketch books with

pencil drawings, most of them related with people or animals. I

draw spontaneously until the moment I see a gure that I feel it

is ne to translate on wood. The French art critic Jeanine Rivais

says my people look like me, as if they were my self-portraits.

How do you market your work?

Since ve years ago, I sell my works through Ebay. For me, this site

is a great worldwide art gallery, and many art lovers and collectors

are buying directly from the artists on Ebay. I have always a few

pieces on auction in my Ebay Store. Most of my collectors are from

the US, but also from Canada, all Europe, Australia Also, I do

group shows here in Europe and in the US. In 2007, I traveled to

Atlanta for the Slotin Folk Fest, where I met my friends from Who-Ha Da-Da group. This year I will go to show my works in France

for a second time, at the Festival dArt Singulier BANNART. In

France, as in the US, there are many interesting outsider artists,

big fairs and very active collectors.

Do you have any advice for other artists?

Nothing is impossible in art!


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Nothing isimpossible in art!

-Dan Casado

The Art of Dan Casado


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The ProcessReduction block prints work in stages, so you

need to work background to foreground, and

generally light to dark (depending on what kind

of media you are printing with). You should

begin by deciding what youd like to have your

nal piece to look likehow many stages doyou want? My block print ended up being three

stageswith each stage, I carved back more of

the linoleum block and added a darker layer of

paint. The image provides a detailed

exampleofthelayersofprinting.Therstlayer

isthelightestlayerthatwasprintedrst.The

second layer was medium blue, and the last layer

wasdarkblue.Iactuallycarvedafourthandnal

layer, but after printing one house decided that I

liked the print with only three layers.

Ive always loved block printing, and have found many new uses for it in mail art. When Im

entered in a large swap that requires me to make 15 or 20 pages, a block print is a great way to

create backgrounds, foregrounds, and other unique effects without an enormous expenditure

of time or resources. Just as importantly, block printing gives a very unique and distinct look

impossible to get otherwise.

The technique described in this article is called a reduction block print, a print where block itself

is carved back as the print stages progress. This article will walk you through my reduction

block print process for a house swap hosted at www.mailartworld.com.

MaterialsLinoleum or rubber block, large enough for the size of art you are working

Block printing ink or acrylic paint*

Ink roller90 degree angle tool, several inches high (I built a 90 angle with Lego blocks that was

several inches wide on each side; a wooden frame also works ne.)

Paper for printing I used Stonehenge all-media 90lb smooth paper

Glass plate for rolling out plate a sheet of glass works, or, in a pinch, one of your dinner

plates

Pen or pencil (regular pen, not pen and ink)

*A note about block printing inks. Ive found that some brands of block printing inks take a

very long time to dry, so I prefer to use standard acrylic paints. As long as you work quickly,

they work perfectly and then you dont need to purchase another set of media specic to block

printing. Adding in some stamping medium to regular acrylics helps as well.

Reduction Block Printing: Victorian House WalkthroughBy Dana Driscoll


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Another aspect of reduction block printing that is important

to know is that this is a limited print run. Because you arecarving back the block after each print, you must print

however many you need before carving back, as it is nearly

impossible to recreate that same block again. Additionally,

you should always print more than you need - for this swap

I needed 12 houses, so I started with 20 prints, knowing

that several would not come out as planned. This means

that for each segment of the printing process, I printed out

20 sheets, then carved down further, then printed on the

20 sheets again, and so forth. This will be explained in

detail below.

The Steps

1. Begin by sketching out your piece. Remember that with

all block printing or stamping, the image that you carve will

be reversed. For my piece, I chose a Victorian/haunted

house that measured X by X (the requirements of the

swap). I found it helpful to sketch on paper and then make

my sketch on the block. I made my lines dark so that I

would not lose them as the printing process progressed.

(Figure 1)

2. For my rst stage of printing, I cut out only the silhouette

of the block and then printed in a light blue. For printing,

take your roller and your paint/ink and roll it out on the

plate, then roll it on the block. Press the print rmly into the

paper (using a press, your own weight, etc) and then pull it

off in a swift motion. Let it sit to dry. After you have printed

all that you want, make sure you wash off your block and

dry before continuing on. (Figure 2)

3. After each printing stage, I redrew the overall image so

that I could decide what areas I wanted to carve out at each

stage. I decided to make the fronts of the house areas themedium blue. The image (Figure 3) is the second stage of

the printing process.

4. When you print after stage one, it is good to have a

90-degree angle raised area - a wooden frame, box, even

Legos work for this purpose. Then you can line up the

image exactly for the next print segment so that the image

is printed exactly at the same place through each print.

The next image is after a stage 2 print. (Figure 4)


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Reduction Block Printing:Victorian House Walkthrough


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Reduction Block Printing:Victorian House Walkthrough


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5. I continued to carve back and print, shifting to a darker

shade of paint after each print. Here is my block after

carving stage three. (Figure 5)

6. Here is the nal print of all three stages. (Figure 6)

7. I decided that I wanted to add some additional ink layers

(gel pen and India ink) to dene it further. (Figure 7)

Reduction block printing is only one of many types of block

printing techniques that can be applied to mail art with

ease. Try it today and experiment!

7


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Colored PencilA gallery of colored pencil art from the artists

of www.illustratedATCs.com

Meran ni Cuill Melissa Muir

Tabitha Ladin Tracie Rozario


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Anne El-Habre


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Anne Hermelin

Jan Michael Briggs Judith Metzger


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ArtTRADERm a g a z i n e

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Advertise in

next issue

ArtTrader M

Please visit

website for d

www.arttraderm


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ArtTRADERwww.arttradermag.com

Article Submissions

Dana Driscoll, [email protected]

Artwork Submissions

Sal Scheibe, Art Direct

[email protected]

Advertising Inquiries

[email protected]

For additional details on ou

submission and artwork guidel

please visit our website

www.arttradermag.com

Call for Articles and Artwork

Thank you for your interest in contributing to ArtTrader Magazine. ArtTrader

Magazine is a web-based publication (in PDF format) focused on mail

art for trade such as ATCs (Artist Trading Cards), ACEOs, art journals,chunky books, altered art and altered books.

We are always accepting the following types of materials:

How to or Step-by-step articles on artistic techniques. We are

interested in techniques that can be applied to any mail art. These include

illustrative techniques, and also works in fabric, digital, collage, mixed

media, and more.

Articles on artistic journeys or experiences. Do you have an interesting

story that you would like to share? We would like to hear it.

Artist Spotlight/Prole. Do you have a body of work you would like

share? We would love to feature you in our artist spotlight.

Showcasing Art. We are interested in showcasing assemblages,

mixed media work, creative journaling, chunky books, fat books, inchies,

ATCs (Artist Trading Cards), post cards and more. These types of articles

usually have a small bit of background accompanying them but primarily

are visual in nature.

Product and Book Reviews. If you are interested in writing a review of

a new product or book that is connected to the mail art world, we would

enjoy hearing about it.

Submissions of Artwork

Almost all of our articles require artwork submissions. You might also want

to submit artwork to appear in our webzine galleries. Our call for artwork

is always open and we welcome your submissions of ATCs, ACEOs, art

journals, chunky pages or altered books. Everyone is welcome to submit

their art. You do not need to be a member of IllustratedATCs.com to submit

artwork.

You must submit your work to us in digital format.

300-400 DPI is sufcient. Do not submit artwork lower than 300 DPI.

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